


The Lake

by Imaginary_Dwellings



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Angst, Cold Weather, Cute, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff without Plot, Ice Skating, M/M, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-08
Updated: 2014-02-08
Packaged: 2018-03-31 15:18:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3982945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imaginary_Dwellings/pseuds/Imaginary_Dwellings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Ah, I see. So will you please tell me what your mystery plans are now, Mr. Haddock?” Jack grinned. Hiccup shook his head with a giggle, he grabbed his bag and pulled out a pair of what looked like ice skates.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lake

It was a frigid morning in Berk. The night before, a freak blizzard had flown through, blanketing the northern island in a thick layer of snow and ice. As the sun rose on the wintery landscape, a cool wind blew through the isles, and with it, came a rather excited Jack Frost. For today he’d get to spend an entire day with Hiccup. Jack had always enjoyed seeing the viking, even before Hic could see him, the winter spirit would always find himself drawn to Berk just to catch a glimpse at the clumsy, yet very adorable boy. That’s why, when Hiccup finally came to believe in him, and later on confessed that he’d fallen in love with Jack,  he was overjoyed.  
            They used to spend every day together; however, that was no longer the case. What with Jack’s new role as guardian and Hiccup having to watch over all the dragons in Berk, the two rarely had time to see each other. But, every so often, there was a day, when everything was taken care of and they could finally have some time together. And that was precisely the reason why Jack had flown all the way to Berk on this day.  
Jack flew up to Hiccup’s house and perched himself on the windowsill of the Viking’s bedroom window. Peering in, he saw Hiccup sleeping contently in his bed. Jack grinned and quietly pushed the window open, his fingers leaving tendrils of frost on the glass. Resting his shepherd’s crook against the window, Jack tiptoed over to Hiccup’s bed and carefully eased himself next to the smaller boy. He smiled seeing Hiccup’s sweet sleeping face and he leaned down to kiss him on the cheek when suddenly, he found himself being thrown across the room.  
            He slammed into a wall with a loud thud. Hiccup sprung up in bed, “Who’s there!?” He barked, reaching for his dagger only to realize it was Jack. He tilted his head at the guardian, “uh, what’re you doing?” He asked, puzzled.  
            Jack abruptly stood up and brushed himself off, “I didn’t do it on purpose,” he began, “your cranky little lizard swatted me over here when I tried to kiss you.” Jack glared over at Toothless, who simply huffed and turned away with a tail flick.  
            Hiccup sighed, “bud, I told you to be nicer to Jack, didn’t I?” The dragon grunted and looked away. “Well you could at least try, you know?” Hiccup retorted, shaking his head. He turned his gaze to Jack, “in his defense, you know how protective he is of me.” Jack crossed his arms and stared at the floor, “I still didn’t get a kiss,” he mumbled to himself. Hiccup chuckled, getting out of bed he grabbed Jack’s hand and got on his tiptoes to give the winter spirit a peck on the lips.  
            “Better?” He asked with a smile.  
            “A little,” Jack replied, a slight blush dusting his cheeks.  
            “You’re here early, weren’t we supposed to meet around noon?”  
            “Well, yeah, but I kind of got too excited and just decided to come over,” scratched the back of his head and looked away. Hiccup smiled and kissed him on the cheek.  
            “Well now we can get a jump start on things anyway, come on,” Hiccup said as he put on his boot and vest and grabbed a bag off his desk.  
            “Get a jump start on what? What’s in the bag?” Jack questioned, grabbing his staff and trotting after Hiccup  
            “You’ll see,” Hiccup replied. The two walked through the front door and into the crisp morning air, Toothless following close behind. Hiccup closed the door and grabbed his saddle; he put it on Toothless and hopped on.  
            “Well come on, Jack, hop on,” Hiccup smirked.  
            “Uh, no thanks. I think my wind in more reliable than your oversized lizard,” Jack and Toothless exchanged a quick glare and Hiccup sighed.  
            “Alright then, but keep up.” Hiccup patted Toothless and a second later, the dragon took to the skies.  
            “No problem, dragon boy,” Jack grinned, taking off after the two.

 ~~~

            They came to land in a familiar clearing. Hiccup removed Toothless’ saddle as Jack looked around at the surroundings. He admired the small frozen lake and massive snow covered trees and rocks that shielded the clearing from trespassers.  
            “This place is amazing Hic, how’d you find it?” Jack asked in awe.  
            “Well this is where I met Toothless, we spent a lot of time here back when my village still hunted dragons.” Hiccup explained.  
            “I can see why you chose here as a hiding place, it’s perfect.”  
            “Well it was more stumbled upon rather than chosen, but it still worked.”  
            “Ah, I see. So will you please tell me what your mystery plans are now, Mr. Haddock?” Jack grinned. Hiccup shook his head with a giggle, he grabbed his bag and pulled out a pair of what looked like ice skates.  
            “I made a pair of ice skates and thought we’d try skating on the lake,” Hiccup replied. Jack smiled a bit nervously, he wasn’t too fond of ice skating after what happened to him, but he’d never told Hiccup that story so he couldn’t really blame Hic for not knowing.  
            “Well I don’t really skate,” Jack began, scratching the back of his head, “but I’ll teach you how to,” he replied reassuringly. Hiccup noticed the shift in Jack’s behavior and took a step closer to the guardian, he tilted his head slightly.  
            “Okay…what’re you not telling me?” Hiccup analyzed Jack’s face, hoping to find an answer.  
            Jack chuckled, “nothing to worry about,” he replied, lightly pinching the younger boy’s nose. Hiccup scooted away, rubbing his nose as Jack headed over to the lake. He started prodding the ice with his staff to check its strength while Hiccup watched intently from behind. Hiccup knew the winter spirit was hiding something from him, but he just didn’t know what. He also knew, that when Jack acted like this, it meant it’d take a lot of effort, even for him, to get the guardian to talk. So he decided to drop it for the time being.  
            “How’s the ice?” Hiccup asked curiously.  
            “Seems pretty solid,” Jack responded, still tapping the ice in a few places to double check, “have you ever skated before?”  
            “Once, I fell on my butt a lot though.”  
            “Well, at least this time you’ll have me here to help ya,” Jack grinned, “come on, put your skates on."  Hiccup smiled and did as he was told, putting on one regular skate on his good leg and a modified one for his prosthetic.  
            Jack observed him closely, "you said you made these?” He asked, tapping one with his staff. Hiccup nodded.  
            “And they worked, right?”  
            “More or less,” Hiccup replied with a shrug. Jack was not happy with that answer, he bit his lip, and examined the skates more closely.  
            “Hey,” Hiccup began, tapping Jack’s forehead to get his attention, “stop worrying, I don’t know what’s got you all worked up but don’t let it bother you. Are you scared I’m gonna get hurt or something?”  
            Jack fidgeted a little, his hands wrapping tighter around his shepherd’s crook. “It’s just…ice skating can be dangerous and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you….”  
            “That’s why I wanted to skate with you; because, even if I fall, you’ll be there to catch me, and I’d be there to do the same for you,” Hiccup smiled.  
            “You really need to stop being cute, you’re gonna kill me,” Jack smiled. He stood up, pushed down his fears and stepped onto the ice; stretching out a hand towards Hiccup. Hiccup took his hand and gingerly followed, trying his best to keep his balance. He slowly slid forward as Jack began to pull him.  
            “That’s it, you’re doing great, Hic,” Jack chimed.  
            “That’s good,” Hiccup started, shaking a little, but then regaining his balance, “‘cause I’m really just trying not to fall on my ass right now.”  
            “Haha, well lets see if you can keep upright if I let your hand go,”  
            “Oh, oka- w-wait your gonna what?” Hiccup stammered nervously.  
            “Don’t worry, you’re not gonna fall, but I’m gonna let go on the three, okay?”  
            “Uh, I don’t know about that, I’m having a hard time keeping my balance even with holding onto you.”  
            “One,”  
            “Jack, come on.”  
            “Two,”  
            “Wait, no! Jack! I said no!”  
            “Three,”  
            “I swear to Thor! If you let go of me I’m gonna ki- AAAHHH!” Hiccup yelped as Jack released his hand and he stumbled backwards. He close his eyes, expecting to slam into the ice, but instead he noticed a pair of cold, but familiar arms wrapped around him. He looked up to see Jack’s smiling face.  
            “Did you really think I’d let you fall?” Jack teased. He propped Hiccup back up and let go of him again. Hiccup scrunched down and held out his arms, expecting to fall again, but he got his balance.  
            “Well you have let me fall before just to get a good laugh,” Hiccup retorted. He looked down, seeing his feet were steady and began to straighten out.  
            “Well, yeah, but I was being serious this time.”  
            “Sometimes it’s hard to tell with you,” Hiccup raised an eyebrow at him. They heard a growl and a thud coming from the other side of the lake. Looking over, they saw Toothless, stuck in a log after a failed attempt to run through it.  
            “Bud! How many times have we been over this? You’re too big to fit through there!” Hiccup exclaimed, shaking his head. The dragon grunted in response and tried to wiggle his way out, but to no avail.  
            “Great, now I gotta go get his head outta there,” Hiccup sighed. He slowly inched towards the dragon but ended up slipping after the first couple steps. Jack quickly grabbed his waist and pulled him back upright.  
            “I think it’ll be faster if I go help the lizard, and you stay here,” Jack laughed.  
            “I guess you’re right,” Hiccup blushed.  
            “Okay, then just stay here, I’ll be right back,” he gave Hiccup a small peck on his cheek and then flew over to Toothless.  
            “How did you even manage to do this?” He laughed, breaking back some of the log so the dragon could ease his head out.  
            Hiccup glanced over to the center of the lake. He saw something moving across the ice and decided to carefully slide forward for a better look. It took him until he was in the middle of the lake to realize it was just a small rabbit. He watched it hop away and then turned to head back to the out edge when he heard a crack. He looked down to see the ice beneath his feet begin to give.  
            “Jack!!” He shrieked, trying to move away but only damaging the thin layer even more.  
            Jack whipped around at Hiccup’s scream, as did the newly freed Toothless; they both watched in horror as the ice broke and Hiccup fell into the freezing water. Jack screamed and Toothless roared as they both went charging towards the lake.  
            Hiccup sank much faster than he had prepared for, his skates dragging him down too fast. He felt the icy water all around him and struggled to keep his breath in. He tried to swim back to the top but his skates got snagged in some weeds at the bottom of the lake.  
            Jack and Toothless made it to the opening in the lake and Jack jumped in without hesitation. He was trying his best to stay calm and keep his powers in check, fearing he’d freeze the water around them. He could see Hiccup struggling to get his skates off and he started to panic as he noticed Hiccup’s movements getting slower.  
            Between the frigid temperature of the water and the lack of air, Hiccup felt his strength fading fast. His head started to spin, and he felt like his lungs were about to burst. He glanced up for an instant to see Jack coming after him. Jack reached out for him and Hiccup did the same just before he lost consciousness.  
            Jack watched Hiccup’s eyes close and felt his hands go limp in his own. He quickly wrapped an arm around the other boy’s waist and pulled as hard as he could. The skates broke and Jack managed to pull Hiccup out of the entanglement and back to the surface.  
            He hoisted Hiccup onto the ice halfway and Toothless nudged him to safety before turning back and pulling Jack up as well. Jack ran over to Hiccup and placed his ear to the Viking’s chest.  
            He heaved a sigh of relief, “he’s still breathing! It’s shallow, but he’s breathing!” he exclaimed, unsure if he did so for himself or for Toothless, “but he’s soaked and freezing, if we don’t do something fast he could freeze to death!” Jack spun around to look at Toothless, he scanned the mechanism Hiccup used to fly the dragon. He shook his head, “there’s no way I can operate that thing…but do you think you can show me the way back to Berk?” Toothless ran over to the clearing entrance and he stomped around, urging Jack to hurry.  
            “Alright!” Jack hollered, picking Hiccup up and running after the dragon, “lead the way Toothless!”

 ~~~  
            Jack busted through the door of Hiccup’s house, Toothless following close behind. He set Hiccup down and began throwing wood into the fire pit in the living room. Once he got it set up he nodded at Toothless who immediately lit the fire. Jack grabbed Hiccup and scooted him towards the fire to try and warm him up some. He quickly reached for the hem of Hiccup’s soaked shirt to pull it off but was halted by a tail smack from Toothless.  
            “What!?” Jack snapped, “he’s gonna freeze unless we get him into some dry clothes!” Toothless grunted and looked away. Jack whipped off Hiccup’s shirt and threw it aside, he then reached for Hiccup’s pants but was stopped once more by Toothless. This time the dragon stood over his master and growled.  
            “What the hell you stupid lizard! I’m trying to help him! I don’t know what your problem with me is but I don’t have time to deal with it now! So MOVE!” Jack grabbed his staff and smacked Toothless away. He removed the last of the wet clothing and ran to Hiccup’s room to grab some dry ones. Toothless  sat in shock, not really sure how to react to the guardian’s actions. Jack returned and redressed Hiccup before looking back at the dragon.  
            “I’m going to grab some blankets, you stay here and use your body heat to warm him up!” Jack commanded. Toothless, although still resentful about being hit, realized the guardian had no ill intentions, and simply obeyed. He walked  behind Hiccup and cuddled up with him in an attempt to make him warmer.  
            Jack frantically searched the house for every, cloth and fur he could find. Once he grabbed all he could carry, he ran back to the living room, and began wrapping Hiccup in them. He stared at Toothless for a second, slightly jealous that the dragon was able to warm Hiccup when all he could do was make him colder, but he quickly shooed the thought away and went in search of more blankets.  
            Hiccup stirred amidst his cloth cocoon, he stretched his cold and stiff limbs as much as possible. Still groggy, it took him a minute to remember what happened, but the second he did, he quickly sat up and scanned his surroundings, only to be surprised that he was in his own home. He looked at all the blankets wrapped around him and also realized his shirt had been changed.  
            Sensing movement, Toothless glanced over to see Hiccup sitting up and fully conscious. He instantly started rubbing his face against Hiccup’s.  
            “Woah, woah, easy there bud.” Hiccup chuckled. He petted the dragon to calm him down while he tried to figure out what happened. All he knew was that he fell through the ice and got snagged underwater, so how did he end up back here? He didn’t have to wonder long before what appeared to be a walking mound of blankets came into the room.  
            “Toothless, do you think this is enough or should I get more?” Jack asked, desperately trying not to trip over all the blankets.  
            “I think that’s plenty,” Hiccup grinned. Jack dropped all the blankets and stared at Hiccup.  
            “HICCUP!” He shrieked, throwing himself onto the viking. “Oh my god you’re awake I didn’t know if you were gonna be okay I thought that you might have frozen or something and wouldn’t wake up and I’d never get to see you again and I’d be lonely and oh thank GOD you’re okay!” Hiccup blinked in surprise. He’d never seen Jack so freaked out before, the poor guy was even shaking while he hugged him. Hiccup squeezed him tight.  
            “You’re really sweet, ya know?” Hiccup smiled, “so I guess it’s safe to assume that you’re the one that saved me?” Jack looked up and wiped a few tears from his eyes.  
            “Yeah, of course, I did have some help from Toothless,” Jack looked over at the dragon, who nodded with content, “are you feeling alright? Anything hurt?”  
            “No, I feel fine, I’m still cold, but obviously that’s a given,” Hiccup replied, “now come on and sit down,” he scooted over and patted the spot next to him.  
            “But, aren’t you still cold? Won’t me being next to you just make it worse?” Jack stared at the ground.  
            “Come here,” Hiccup sighed, pulling Jack under the blankets with him, “besides, after being with you all this time, I’ve actually come to like the cold.” Jack smiled and put an arm around Hiccup. He turned and exchanged a quick glance with Toothless, almost as if they were thanking each other for helping save Hiccup, before they turned away. All bundled up in front of a fire, the three fell asleep, just as another snow storm blew through the icy isles of Berk.


End file.
